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NYC’s Best Bars With Board Games

Connect Four, Apples To Apples and Sorry! aren’t just for kids. Plenty of New York bars offer board games for added entertainment. Check out NYC’s best bars with board games the next time you’re feeling competitive. By Adrienne Smith.

Head to the East Village for a quality happy hour spent beating your opponent in classic games like Monopoly or Jenga. Common Ground’s happy hour runs weeknights until 8 p.m., with all drafts $3. Choose between one of Common Ground’s 10+ drafts and make sure to order the almond-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. If you show up on Wednesday, stay for the excellent – and challenging – trivia that starts at 9 p.m.

Fat Cat is a game lover’s mecca. This underground West Village bar may have a cover, but the charge is rarely above $5. In addition to standard board games like Scrabble, checkers and chess, Fat Cat is stuffed with ping pong tables, shuffleboard, foosball and pool tables. Though you may have to wait for a game, the daily live jazz will keep you entertained before revving up your competitive side.

Bushwick Country Club – a dive bar in Williamsburg – can be misleading. But you won’t care once you get there. Games like mouse trap and decks of cards are strewn across the space, while a mini golf course and photobooth are out back. Bushwick Country Club created the pickleback shot in 2006, which includes a shot of Jameson whiskey followed by a shot of McClure’s spicy pickle brine. And as if that wasn’t enough, unlimited, free cheese puffs are offered.

Contrary to its name, Dive 75 manages to be laid back without being a dive. Beeline for the couches and table seats; you’ll find board games galore to space out with. Board games include Chutes and Ladders, Apples to Apples and Connect Four, among others. If you’re hungry, this Upper West Side bar offers free assorted candy and plenty of menus for delivery.

Zombie Hut gives you a taste of the tropics right in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens. The bar offers boozy cocktails like a scorpion bowl and flaming tiki drinks. A thatched roof covers the themed backyard space. Settle into the outdoor space if the weather allows, and crack into Zombie Hut’s Clue, Scattegories or Monopoly.

What Barcade lacks in board games, it makes up in video games. Dozens of vintage arcade games line the warehouse-style bar; play for just 25 cents per game. The rotating taps feature a solid beer selection. Happy hour includes $1 off beer and well drinks until 8 p.m. on weekdays. Grab a Dogfish Head Sixty-One or Jolly Pumpkin Saison and get cracking on Pacman or Robocop.